Stuffed Collard Rolls/Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Stuffed Collard Rolls/Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

 

Recipe By : The New Vegan Cookbook ~ Lorna Sass

Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Main Dish Vegan

Sda-Veg-Recipes2 (AT) Egroups (DOT) Com

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (Recipe Below)

2 pounds collard greens (have at least 2 leaves)

1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups finely chopped leeks

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

3/4 cup finely diced celery

3/4 cup finely diced carrot

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cooked pearl barley

2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice or -- additional

barley

2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and -- coarsely chopped

1/2 tablespoon hazelnut oil, plus more if needed

1/3 cup loosely packed chopped fresh dill

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Red Pepper Sauce -- (about 2 pounds)

3 large red bell peppers (about 1 3/4 lbs) roasted -- and in

chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 cups or 1 15-ounce can (drained), navy beans

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon Balsamic syrup or Balsamic vinegar

 

Prepare the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and set aside.

 

Cut off the collard stems, and trim any leaves that measure longer than 10

inches from top to stem end. Thinly slice 1 cup of the stems and set aside.

(Save the remaining stems for another use.)

 

Select a pot wide and deep enough to contain the collard leaves without

bending them too much. Fill it about halfway with eater. Add 1/2 teaspoon of

the salt. Bring to a boil.

 

Press the collard leaves into the boiling water. (If necessary, cook in two

batches.) Cover and boil until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. (To test for

doneness, use scissors to snip off a small piece of leaf near the stem end;

err on the side of undercooking, as the leaves tear more easily if

overcooked.)

 

Drain the collard leaves in a colander set over a bowl, reserving the

cooking broth. Set the collards under cold running water, gently turning

them once or twice, until they are thoroughly cooled. Set aside to drain.

 

Heat the oil in the same pot. Add the leeks and cook over medium-high heat,

stirring often, until they wilt, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile crush the fennel

seeds using a mortar and pestle, or coarsely chop them with a chef's knife.

Add the fennel seeds, celery, carrot, reserved collard stems, 1/2 cup

reserved collard broth, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, ad pepper to taste.

Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender but

still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more collard broth if the mixture becomes

dry.

 

Using a blender or food processor, blend 1/2 cup of collard broth with 1 cup

of barley to create a coarse purée. Add the purée, remaining grains,

hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, and dill to the leek mixture. Season to taste with

salt and pepper and additional hazelnut oil, if needed. Stir in enough lemon

juice to give a distinct lemony edge.

 

To assemble the rolls: Set a collard leaf on a flat surface with the

smoother side up and the mid-rib running from left to right (i.e.,

horizontally). Patch any tears with pieces of another leaf.

 

Mound 1/4 to 3/4 cup of the stuffing (depending upon the size of the leaf)

just below and along the full length of the mid-rib. Flip the leaf edge

closest to you over the filling and roll the leaf up so that the mid-rib

runs along its length. (You may also fold in the sides of the leaf to create

a packet, as shown on page 66.) Set the roll seam-side down on a

microwavable or ovenproof platter. Continue to assemble rolls until you have

used up all of the filling or leaves.

 

Just before serving, reheat the rolls in a microwave or in the oven, loosely

covered with foil. To serve, ladle Roasted Red Pepper Sauce onto dinner

plates, and arrange the rolls on top.

 

Other Ideas:

Collard " Spaghetti "

Stack any extra cooked collard greens in a pile and roll them tightly into a

cigar. Slice thin. Brown slivered garlic in olive oil, add the sliced

collards, and cook, tossing frequently, until heated.

 

Use leftover collard broth as a base for soup. It also makes a soothing hot

drink, perhaps seasoned with a drop of soy sauce.

 

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

 

In a blender or food processor, purée the peppers with the oil, 3/4 cup of

the beans, and the salt.

 

Transfer the purée to a saucepan and stir in the remaining beans. Add amore

salt if needed and enough Balsamic Syrup to enhance the taste.

 

If the sauce is thin or lacks a finished flavor, bring it to a boil and

simmer, stirring frequently, until it has a good consistency and the flavors

are integrated. Set aside until needed; reheat when ready to serve.

 

 

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